The Lessons You Should Learn During Your College Years

It would be unreasonable and outright stupid to deny that you learn things at college – plenty of things in fact. And no, we are not talking about your major and all the practical skills, but rather about valuable life lessons. College is a surrogate environment that hasn’t gone far from high school, yet made a significant step into the adult life. In this transitional environment dwells the individual half-grown and half still clinging to the mother’s skirt. The lessons that can be learned during college years will benefit this individual greatly, shaping him into a deserving society member. So, what are those lessons?

Learning never stops

It is probably during the freshman year that most of the students understand how enormous the body of scientific knowledge is and how ridiculous it is to try and master it all. Learning is the activity for life – no matter how you put it. Whether you carry on this activity after graduation depends solely on you, but if your college has taught you the joy and satisfaction of knowledge, then you have learned this very important lesson.

The importance of planning and time management

Making schedules and time allocation are not only convenient – they are essential to any college student. It is more than just difficult to cope with the academic load, yet alone juggle work and studies with social activity and volunteering. While you can still live in the world of timeless illusions, the clock is ticking away precious hours of life (sorry for being a little too dramatic), and if you want to squeeze more into the time between dawn and dusk, you have to plan.

Your budget is limited, and it depends on you to control it

Probably one of the most important lessons to learn at college, financial management deserves an entire chapter, not a modest paragraph of text. Do you remember that horrible feeling of being broke in the middle of the month? Of understanding that you still have books to buy? Of looking for on-campus jobs to cover the essentials? Well, if that’s any consolation to you, these moments have taught you a lot, even if you are trying to forget them now. Finances require just as much planning and attention as time.

It’s all about who you know

Networking is king. If you haven’t yet graduated, get out of your shell right now! Meet more people, sign up to a few clubs, go to parties for God’s sake! Do things to get connections. The people you meet at college will become more valuable with time as their own importance and circles of connections grow. Whether it’s a good attorney or a skilled computer guy you need, you’ll be able to find one by simply asking your friends and old acquaintances for help.

Living in the present is BS, you mostly live for the future

Sad as it is, college teaches you that living in a moment is a rather careless thing to do. There are consequences to everything. Understanding that you can’t just bail on your education and wander off traveling to India defines you as an adult. The sooner you get this understanding, the better.

Although tough, these life lessons are extremely valuable and shape your adult personality. There are many others, which we will cover in our future blog posts. Stay tuned!